Minecraft’s Notch and Jeb make the Time 100 Most Influential list as ‘Titans’; Will Wright sounds off

Minecraft 1.8: the return of floating islands.

I spent about 10 minutes just now trying to work out precisely how Most Influential Markus Persson and Jens Bergensten are, but it seems Time have de-numbered their list. Instead, according to Will Wright and a magazine who have been doing this for a very long time, the two men of Minecraft are ‘Titans’.

The Mojang boys take their place in the list alongside fellow Titans Jay-Z, uncheckable Chess force Magnus Carlson, and Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes.

“I have an 8-year-old stepson, and most of what I know about Minecraft I’ve learned through watching him become totally immersed in that world,” wrote Wright in his dedication.

“He spends half his time playing and the other half watching video tutorials other players have made about making cool things with Minecraft. It’s a community actively learning and discovering from one another, and Minecraft is the catalyst.”

In scripted games, Wright explained, everybody sees and does the same things – “they’re all rescuing the same princess”. Minecraft is very different – you use your imagination to create whatever you want.

“It might be a story, it might be a machine, it might be some interesting place where you can go and play. But whatever it is, it’s a reflection of you and your intention and your creativity,” he continued.

“What Jens and Markus designed reminds me of another deceptively elaborate toy: Lego.

“Minecraft is a wonderful combination of accessibility and depth, allowing for complex output with simple input. And it is introducing a whole new generation of kids to computer programming. A lot of people are trying to figure out how to teach 7-year-olds to code, and it’s a tricky thing to do.

“Minecraft is one of the clear landmarks along that path.”

Hear hear. Have you anything else to add to that fitting assessment from the Maxis alumnus?